San Antonio

Our first stop in San Antonio was pretty obvious: the Alamo.

For those who need a refresher, the Alamo was an early (18th century) Spanish mission- built for the purpose of converting Indians. It was eventually abandoned and became a military fortress. 

Its claim to fame was the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, when all 200 Texans inside refused to surrender and died defending it against the Mexican army. 'Remember the Alamo' became the battle cry for the rest of the Texas revolution.

Magnolia will not remember the Alamo. She slept through most of it. :) 

It was pretty sparse inside, but we were surprised by how pretty the surrounding garden was. It was a nice place for a bottle when Sleeping Beauty awakened.

A lot of history was learned as David and his parents slowly listened to the entire audio tour. I definitely did not feel impatient at all as that happened because I am so zen.

The Alamo was not the only Spanish mission in the area. The others aren't as famous due to their lack of bloody battles, but you can visit more of them in the Missions National Historical Park.

We made it to 3-

San Juan

Concepción

And our favorite, San José.

It was our favorite because there was more to explore and the façade of the church was so detailed and pretty. 

I loved visiting these places because I felt transported to Europe! It's so rare in America to come across anything built in the 1700s. We also loved the lack of crowds. We were pretty much the only tourists at all 3 missions, and it was so peaceful and quiet to walk around.

The cathedral in downtown San Antonio also made me feel like I was back in Europe.

After visiting "Spain," it was time to feel like we were visiting Mexico. We took a trip to the colorful Historic Market Square. It was the opposite of the missions- very loud and crowded! But it was a fun atmosphere and we all loved it.

We had some good Mexican food and got to look around the shops a little bit before baby was ready for a nap. I did manage to find souvenir outfits for both of us, so that was a success.

Besides the Alamo, the River Walk is probably San Antonio's next most famous place. I had seen pictures, but they don't do it justice. Mine don't either. It's really a unique and beautiful spot! 

We were looking forward to a boat tour but got rained out. Bonus: the rain ended the awful heat wave we experienced on the first few days of our trip and made the second half of our week much more enjoyable.

On the way back to Dallas to fly home, we had to see Magnolia Market. It was a fun stop, and I have to say that I love their taste in names.

This little Magnolia did so great on her first trip! We're proud of her and can't wait to travel more with her.